A RARE winner's medal from the first World Cup, won against overwhelming odds by a team of North-East miners, is to go under the hammer after being found at a car boot sale.

The team from West Auckland Football Club, County Durham, won the inaugural Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy in 1909.

The players, mainly miners, are thought to have had the medals struck themselves and it is believed that only three are still known to exist.

One owned by the winning team's captain, Bob Jones, belongs to the club and another is at the National Football Museum.

The third was found in a box of football programmes bought at a car boot sale for £20 in the Newcastle area six years ago.

The anonymous buyer nearly threw away the medal, made of an alloy, as he did not realise what it was.

He has put it up for auction at Newcastle-based Garland and Anderson, with a list price of £3,000 to £5,000.

Steven Moore, senior specialist at Garland and Anderson, said: "He found the medal and tried to find out what it was without success.

"Twice his wife told him to throw it out, but he did more research and found one that had been listed for auction for £15,000 and realised what it was.

"This is from an iconic moment.

It's one of the rarest football medals in the world.

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